The Moonlight Walkers
by withered-soup
Summary: AU: Running away from an old "home" is easier when one is running towards a new one. It's not hard to find it. It's just waiting around the corner...waiting in the night.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Before you get the wrong idea, no, this is not a vampire fiction. :))

* * *

**The Moonlight Walkers**

**By withered-soup**

**one**

The bell didn't have to ring, did it? She wouldn't have felt that strange anxiety amidst the usual boisterous laughter of the afternoon if it never came. She stuffed her books, notebooks and pen as slowly and as organized as possible. During small pauses she looked around and watched most of the students yawn and stretch while listening to the yammering of another. School was over again.

She took a long look at the room and bit her lip. Would anyone ask her out? Or maybe even shyly ask to borrow her notes and have it photocopied? Any one? No one? Would anyone offer her a little time eating _takuyaki_ at the small stand a block from the school? She checked her wallet. There were enough money to spare. She had been saving a lot for trips and take-out's anyway. Her green eyes blinked. She closed the lid of her stiff bag for she had abandoned almost all hope. She stood up, pretended to fix her uniform for a few more seconds and then finally took her first step towards the door.

"Sakura!"

She stopped and a smile could not be suppressed totally by her face. She shouldn't smile widely like her mind tells her to do. "Yes?" She made a timid turn to see the speaker and when she did, her face was once more neutral.

"Hey, it's kinda cruel to have tests everyday, right?" Ino, her blonde girl friend who the boys had always been eyeing, tossed her shiny hair. "I know we've got another killer test tomorrow but Naruto wants to eat ramen. To, like, _de-stress_ a bit? You wanna come?"

A little movement of the eyebrows to feign worry and a little silence to feign hesitation. Finally, a weak smile followed. "Sure, I'm quite hungry anyway."

"Sweet!" She heard Naruto shout behind Ino.

Sakura thanked the heavens for this opportunity for more time.

Five of them went to the ramen house Naruto frequents. Kiba, Naruto and Shikamaru were comparing scores while Ino was in her trance-like narration of how her weekend went. Sakura smiled softly all the while and gave appropriate sounds and responses at the right time. Not that she didn't like talking with Ino, the conversation was always too long for her. However, she had to live with those long stories to stay with those people she considered _friends_.

"Anyway, so I just slapped him and he ran yelping! Geez! That was only a slap!" Ino ended her talk when the bowl of ramen was served under her nose.

"It's better that way. He wouldn't come back." Sakura replied and then looked at the swirling steam from the ramen. _It's better not to come back._

_

* * *

_

"Alright, class, dismissed." The stoic professor returned to her papers and fixed them using a paperclip while the rest of the class silently exited the room. Everyone was in black and there was neatness and order in every movement they made. The way they stepped were calculated. The foot should not be raised very high as if marching and to silently walk, the heel must touch the floor before the rest of the sole. There should no be shuffling. No stomping. No running. And everyone should stay at the right side of the stairs or corridors. Boisterous laughter had a penalty and loud music was also prohibited. Discipline was the key to a clean slate and discipline was something etched deeply in the students.

"We have to go home early." Neji reminded the raven head he was talking with. His cream eyes followed the movement of the stiff handsome guy who was putting all of his notebooks and books in his locker. "And I see you don't mind the exam tomorrow?"

No response came from the guy who was then securing the padlock.

Neji sighed. "I am not your father, I shouldn't really care, should I?" No response. "Sasuke?"

"No, you shouldn't." Sasuke finally gave his blockmate a lift of a brow. "I'm busy tonight."

Neji looked at him in wonder. For the past three years he had known Sasuke, he knew busy didn't mean studying. "You better not get yourself caught."

And Sasuke never did get caught for those past three years of his high school life. For where he went was nowhere the school's prim and proper staff ever went to. At least twice a week, he would say good bye to Neji earlier than usual and he would bring a gym bag where clothes and other body padding was stuffed into. There were also bottles of water, some bandages and a messed container that represented an improvised first aid kit. Neji never asked because he already had an idea where the guy was going and Sasuke would never admit anyway. He didn't need to go to the gym to maintain his body nor was he interested in any sport as of the moment. Well, if _it _could be called a sport then perhaps Sasuke more of dwelled in its brutality.

He took a cab and went down near the outskirts of the city. After which, he walked a few more blocks before he reached an alley that let to darker dead end: an underground fight club. The way to the small building was lined with trash and graffiti. There were also men in hoods and caps nodding and surveying the area for cops and other unwanted figures.

Before he went straight to the doors, a large man with a cigarette dangling from his lips looked at him from top to bottom. "Your pass, kid?" Sasuke pulled his cuff higher and showed a tattoo that looked like a snake. The man breathed on the teen ager's face. "You frequent here, huh? You know the drill." He opened his palm and on it came down bills. The man nodded at the bouncer at the doors and without speaking, Sasuke was led to the world of screaming and betting.

The darkness of the night was in contrast with the dancing lights of the building. The place was a crossover between a strip bar and a combat arena. The first floor resembled a balcony where the more affluent stayed. There were tables and endless liquor and there were also topless women serving everything possible. At the lower ground were more tables for the middle class and lower class betters who made the club lively with their shouts and cusses. In the middle of the lower ground level was a circular arena where an exuberant host jived with the crowd. He was also the one who often winked at the money and bet holders at the booths.

Sasuke passed between men almost twice his size and finally had the chance to give the man at the booth his cash. His eyes wandered while waiting for his ticket. The smell and sweat of the people around him was irritating in so many ways.

"You playing again, kid?" The man asked as he gave the white paper to the teen. "Heard they have new guys."

"I'm not worried." He quickly replied and squeezed himself past the other men who were making their ways to the booths.

The lights began to dim and suddenly, a spotlight rained on the man in the middle of the arena. He wore a suit with hurtful psychedelic colors and his face even had a purple make-up. He looked really white especially since his hair was long and black. There was a building of suspense. "Ladies and gentlemen…" He seemed to lick the microphone as he spoke. "I do not wonder why we're so packed up tonight." He smiled that malicious smile. "What is in store for us, anyway? Isn't it just like any other nights?" He arched his brows and expelled a loud, "NO!" The crowd cheered. "Not only do we have a hefty sum to be given away…we also have a very, very good set of fighters laid down for our _pleasure_." He winked at a bouncer who guarded the bottom of the ring as if cueing him. "I know you're all itching to watch this…so…without further ado…may I now present the first match tonight!" Two men came up the ring as the crowd yelled.

One of the fighters was a bald man who was buffed up well. Even his veins were obvious against his skin. He wore a permanent frown and his bushy eye brows met to form a one line. He only wore the typical trunks of any large fighter and he roared as he raised his clenched fists in the air. The crowd roared with him.

Sasuke took his place across the bald beast. He casually pulled his shirt off and kicked his shoes off. He squatted twice to check if his pants were hindering his leg movements and after being satisfied, he straightened up to cock his head from left to right. His black eyes observed his opponent from head to toe. He was twice his size and his high school arms were no match to his muscles. But it didn't matter. He just let out a relaxing sigh and raised his arms in front of him in a fighting stance.

"FIGHT!"

* * *

"…and you know what? He never called again! Ugh! What a total loser!" Ino poked the last strand of her ramen noodles as if it were the guy who stood her up.

"Not worth your time." Sakura gave a generic reply.

"You said it! So I didn't try calling him or whatever! So annoying!" She tossed her blond hair to the right. "Ugh, boys."

"Excuse me!" Naruto interrupted. "There are boys here, y'know?"

"So?" Ino lifted a brow and then she showed disgust. "Naruto, no wonder girls don't like you. You eat too much! Ew!" The three bowls of ramen suddenly became the highlight.

Shikamaru lifted a finger and dug into his ear. "Instead of worrying about that, there is food to be paid for and there is time to take note of." And with that, they muttered to each other how incredibly fast time slipped.

"Yeah, we better go home." Kiba added as he handed their payment.

_Go home? Already? _Sakura absentmindedly closed her bag. _It is still early. It couldn't be that fast._ "Hey, Sakura, come on." She found the others standing up. "Oh, sorry." She timidly shouldered her bag strap and followed her friends. "We're…really going now?"

"Well, there's a test tomorrow. I'm sure you're itching to study." Kiba winked at her.

Ino jumped in front of the group. "Oh my gosh! I just remembered! Today's the last showing of the movie I was dying to watch!"

"Ino. Test." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I'm going home. You can watch it yourself." Shikamaru started walking with Naruto. Kiba shrugged and then walked along the two.

"GUYS?"

"I-I can go with you." Sakura murmured. Ino raised a brow. "I could go with you. The movie? Watch the movie…"

"Really? I mean…" Ino checked the pink haired girl's face. "_Really_, really?"

"Yes, I have…kind of…studied ahead." A lie. But near the truth that she already knew some part of the lessons because of her advanced readings.

"Sakura, you're the best!" Ino grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to the direction of the mall a few blocks away.

The movie started at about some time past 8pm. Ino had her lips covered by her hands almost the whole time. The story was magical and it focused on the love story of an angel and a human girl. The romance was giving her the suspense she needed. Sakura, on the other hand, quietly ate some popcorn as she followed the movie with little interest. The movie was alright but she was no longer into romantic movies. She thought of them as inhuman—unreal. And if she were to believe, she thought she'd just end up being heartbroken by the knights in shining armor she once dreamed of when she was younger.

"I…I can't…" The human girl covered her face and tears streamed from her eyes. The handsome angel extended his hand but drew them away before his fingers touched her. "You're…you're so far from what I am…I am lowly…I am…"

"He doesn't care!" Ino squeaked behind her hands. She was at the edge of her seat, waiting for the angel to move and comfort the anxious girl.

"You have shown me…what the real heaven is like…what happiness is like…I could no longer go back." The angel smiled and most of the female audience gasped at the glorious lips. "My home…my home is with you."

Ino suppressed a squeal while Sakura stopped eating. Those green eyes followed the smooth movement of the two characters as they fell into each other's arms. Lips met and hands moved. _Happiness. Somewhere I can call home._ She saw how the angel's wings broke off but the love was greater than the pain. _I could no longer go back. My home…my home is with…_ She stopped. Where was her home?

"Oh my gosh…it's done!" Ino threw her arms up as the credits rolled a few more scenes after the dramatic encounter of the angel and human girl. She glanced at her side and saw that Sakura eyeing the screen rather blankly. "Hey Sakura, are you in a hurry?"

"N-no, it's just 10 o'clock."

"Sure? My curfew's 10." Ino smiled. "But did you see that make-up? _So pretty!_ I think I used up most of my foundation. I wanna check out the cosmetics store for a new one. Wanna come?"

"Sure." Sakura thanked the heavens.

The store was almost deserted by customers when they came. It was the closing time of the mall so everyone was on their way to the doors. Even the salesladies were starting to do their final checks as Ino poked on the displayed sample products if they looked fine on her skin.

"Should I get…no I think…oh, this is cute…how about…" the blonde moved on from one rack to another. "Sakura, you think—" She stopped and nudged the quiet girl. "Look."

Haruno lifted her eyes from the make-up set she was observing and followed Ino's line of sight. Just across them was a hooded guy who was picking what seemed to be a set of concealers. She couldn't get much out of the face of the guy because of the hood and he had more of his side and back toward her. For some reason, they got attracted to the mystery of the guy's face so they continued to wait for that perfect instance…

The guy lifted his face and eyed them.

"Eep!" Ino looked down and pretended to take interest on the face powders while Sakura looked sideways. But she couldn't help but glance at the guy who decided to ignore the two girls and give the concealer to the counter. He took out a bill, grabbed the product and walked away.

"Your change, sir."

"Keep it." He disappeared from the store.

Sakura looked at Ino who was still dumbfounded. "You think he saw us?"

"I think so." Ino finally spoke. "But did you get a glimpse of him?" She lowered her voice. "He's _cute!_"

"He looked scary to me." Sakura followed Ino at the counter. Her foundation and an added eyeliner was being packed. "I just saw much of his black hair. And he looks so white."

"Mysterious type, uhuh." Ino giggled. "But seriously, I'm doubting him." She continued as they exited the store. "A cute guy buying a concealer? I'm starting to think otherwise."

"That he's…"

"Yes," the blonde sighed and continued with a sad tone, "…gay." Silence. "Well anyway, good looking guys nowadays are homosexuals." She stopped by the doors. "I'll see you around, thanks a bunch." She gave Sakura a cheek-to-cheek parting before hailing a cab. Sakura was left standing by the mall entrance for a few more minutes before she decided to go home.

The moonlight was high and reigning. She had to go back…for now.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Moonlight Walkers**

**By withered-soup**

**two**

It was Sunday when it came to her that when she got to the city, she woke up in a different way. She was no longer woken up by the insistent chirping of the birds or the smell or the loud barks of three dogs racing around the wooden house. Whenever she would go down for breakfast, she no longer heard the sweet call of her mother saying, "good morning, sweetheart, I made you your favorite omelet!" When she went out the front doors, she no longer saw the green land with flowers and trees and clear skies.

No, the place she was in was so much different.

The alarm clock and the honking of the cars woke her up. Whenever she got down to the dining area, she had to cook herself something. Her mother was always on the phone, sorting things out for the business while her father was always into the newspapers. Whenever she'd step out of the house, smoke, concrete houses and buildings that reached the skies decorated the whole view her eyes could accommodate. The place changed and so did the ones in it.

"Look, I know you're panicking." Sakura found her mother pacing to and fro with a clipboard holding charts in one hand and a wireless phone in another when she got down that morning. There was a half finished coffee on the table and there was cold fried chicken in a tuperware in the center of the table. Sakura picked it up and raised it to eye level.

"Just heat it in the microwave." Her father passed by on his way to the front doors.

"Okay."

"Go buy some batteries for the remote. It's about time you become responsible for the things here at home." Her father added and then left.

She turned once more to the chicken and headed to the microwave. She placed it in, turned the dial and watched the contained go round and round.

"Oh, COME ON!" Her mother threw the clipboard at the sofa chair. "He didn't!" She grabbed the unfinished coffee and sipped a little. "Do you have any idea—not now—will you listen for a minute?" Her mother disappeared into the second floor and then came down with the conversation apparently done. She continued muttering to herself before sitting down on the sofa to reread the charts.

"Breakfast's ready." Sakura took out the chicken and placed on the table. She prepared the plates and the utensils as her mother sat. And silently, without looking at each other, they ate. Minutes passed.

"How's school?" Her mother sipped some water.

"It's okay. I got high in the last test." Sakura reached for some more chicken.

"You…like something orange? Your favorite color?"

Sakura stopped chewing and swallowed the rather large piece. "Sure."

"I need to go and meet up with this stupid partner of mine." She stood up and placed her finished plate on the sink. "I'll be quick."

"Okay, Mom." Sakura stood up and followed her mother as she rushed to the door. When she got out, the pink haired lass locked the door and stared at the wood for a long time. "It's red."

* * *

_Beep. Beeeep. Beeeeeep. Beeeee—_

Sasuke slammed a hand on the alarm clock that immediately stopped complaining. He shifted and curled and sprawled and curled and rolled under his soft sheets.

_Ring. Riiing. Riiiiing. Riiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiing. This is Uchiha Sasuke's residence. Apparently, he's away and is unable to answer your call. Rather, please leave a message after the beep. Beeeeep. Good morning, Sasuke. I would just like to remind you that tonight we have a scheduled dinner. It's our father's birthday, in case you choose to forget. We're expecting you to be there. Wear something decent, please. I already sent you a suit. Beep._

"Fuck." Sasuke brushed some hair that stuck to his face as he sat up. He ambled towards the full length mirror and noted how purple, how large and how many his bruises were. There was a prominent one around his left eye and the rest were scattered on his torso while a few and the smaller ones were on his limbs. He touched the cut on his lower lip and eyed the other wounds at his knees and elbows.

It's Sunday and there was nothing to do the whole day. Where should he go? To the mall? To the park? What time was it? Already twelve noon? Sasuke headed to the showers and after which, he got into a shirt and jeans and headed out of his condominium.

The roads looked different to him. He had always been in Konoha. He was born there, actually. But the places were different. There were strangers roaming the streets too but the strangers had grown in numbers. And their numbers had started to suffocate the life out of the city. Trust had become the major issue among people. And that trust became the main issue when he decided to head to a grocery store to get himself food supplies.

Sasuke didn't like it when people stared. Actually, he did not care what they thought of him but he just didn't like being observed. And to eliminate the possibilities of him being stared at, he wore a jacket with a hood, a pair of jeans and a sling bag for some other stuff. However, he could not _really_ eliminate everything that made people stare at him…

"Welcome." A staff greeted him as he passed through the entrance of the store. He kept his eyes down or forward and headed to the noodles section. He grabbed as much instant noodles as possible and stuffed them all into a cart. He went to the dairy section and grabbed bottles of fresh milk as well.

"Good afternoon." The lady smiled.

"…" Sasuke began piling the noodles and the milk unceremoniously on the counter and the lady just scanned away. "That'd be—" she stopped. Sasuke saw her eyes land on his hands which showed injured knuckles. Moreover, in his hands were old, dirty, crumpled bills with some stain of what looked like dried blood. Their eyes met. At that moment, the lady saw Sasuke's black eye. She suddenly felt scared of him.

Sasuke thrust the bills on the counter and muttered, "keep the change."

"Ah—you—" Sasuke took the bags and moved on without looking back. He had exited the doors and was to turn around a corner when the lady ran out and called out, "Sir!"

He looked over his shoulder and—_BAM!_ In a split second, two people collided at the corner of that street. The witnesses stopped at their tracks when cup noodles rolled in different directions. Two cup noodles were accidentally stepped at while a bottle of milk broke upon impact.

"You missed…a noodle, sir." The lady's voice trailed off.

He didn't know what to think at that moment, something in him was waiting to burst.

"I'm sorry!" a panicking pink haired girl knelt down and began picking the noodles that dropped from the toppled grocery bag. When she saw the milk, she panicked all the more. She stood up and gave the cup noodles to Sasuke. "I'm going to replace…those." She eyed the wasted noodles and milk. "I'm really sorry—" She stopped. It was obvious in the face of the girl that she was actually surprised. A part of him nudged his memory and realized he had seen that girl before.

"Whatever." Sasuke pulled the noodles from her hands and took the noodle from the cashier lady who preferred to shut up.

"No, I need to—"

"…shut up." Sasuke looked at her straight in the eyes. Those emerald orbs stared back with actual fear in them. He glared at the passing people and they decided to move on. Pulling his hood further to cover his face, he brushed against the crowd and walked away.

* * *

"The talk made my head hurt, I think." Sakura's mother massaged her temple as she hung her head over the sofa chair back rest.

Sakura was preparing their dining table for their dinner when her mother came home. She tried hard to be unnoticed as possible because she knew her father was not in the mood. When he came home that afternoon, his face was crumpled and he slammed the door of his room when he went up the stairs.

"It's because you worry too much." Her husband commented and then turned to Sakura. "Sakura, can you get your mother some tablets there. For the headache."

Sakura went to their medicine cabinet but there was no sign of the tablets. Wondering if her parents had taken the pack somewhere, she called out, "where are they again?" And right after she let go of the words she thought of as a bad choice, she felt that something wrong would happen. The proof came within a second. "Are you stupid or something? You've been in this house for months and you still don't know where the tablets should be? You're only smart in school but in real life you're dumb. You think…" And her father's rant went on. She couldn't bear go back to the living room where her tired mother and her hot headed father were. She stayed for a few minutes at the room where she was while listening to the continuous insults of her father. _I'm wrong again._ That was what she felt. Why did she not choose a better set of words like, "the tablets are not here, do you know where they are?" But of course it was too late for that. Her father would continue to rant anyway.

She sighed heavily and wiped the building tears in her eyes. She breathed deeply twice and then walked back to the living room. "There are no more tablets. I'll just go buy at the drug store." She quickly turned her back and controlled her desire to rush out of the door and disappear from the wretched house. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she let the tears flow.

She walked with her head down as she passed a few more houses before she got to the main street. A few more steps away and she already saw the drug store. It was a quick trip. She went into the drug store and then came out with a lighter purse and a small container of tablets. Upon stepping out of the store, she felt enveloped by the night once more. Nights are dark and dreary, she thought. And night had always been one of the symbols of disappearing. What if she disappeared? The thought made her smile. What if she disappeared just for tonight? She looked at the endless street that led to the commercial area of the city. And then, she began to walk.

* * *

"Welcome, Mr. Uchiha. You look fine in that suit."

"…"

"May I escort you to your table?"

"…"

"This way, please." The assistant was more than happy to lead the way through the many tables and chairs that invited guests to fine dining. They passed couples in formal dresses and waiters serving wine and champagne. Finally, they came upon a separate area—the area for the VIP among the VIP's—and the assistant opened the glass doors and slightly bowed as Sasuke went in. The young Uchiha was greeted by literally a circular garden in the middle of the structure. There appeared to be a dome in the middle of the garden and the dome's poles were covered with leaves and flowers in bloom. On the grass were lanterns that illuminated the stone path to the dome that sheltered a large table and its guests. A band that played soft music could be seen at a side of the garden. And there were waiters standing and eager for orders.

Around the table were two distinct people among others: his father and his older brother.

"Sasuke, glad you could come." His father gestured him to cross the garden. He did not move. "We saved a seat, come here." He took a step and that step was followed by a couple more until he arrived at the table. He remained standing with his eyes sharp at everyone.

"I see you wore a good attire for once." He turned and saw his older brother behind him and he was subtly coerced to sit beside their father.

When he settled down, everyone at the table observed him intently. The men there appeared to be his father's business partners. "He does look like his mother." One commented heartily as he winked at Sasuke.

"Hn." Sasuke looked away.

"There's plenty of food, don't be shy." Another laughed.

_Fuckin' morons._

"It doesn't kill to comb and dress once in a while, does it?" Itachi, his older brother, whispered as he cut his tender beef.

"Shut up." Sasuke remained looking off at the distance. His eyes fell on the band that was slowly weaving music for the celebrant.

"I heard you're studying at that prestigious school." One of the businessmen talked to the silent high school student. "You're really smart, huh. Your father is proud."

"I am." His father swallowed a chop. Sasuke looked down on his plate.

"You know you don't get to eat these things as much as you want. Maximize the opportunity." Itachi said in a lowered voice. "We know what you're doing with the money we're giving you."

"Just shut up." Sasuke watched as the waiter served him some soup that meant for some appetizer. He stared at the swirling liquid with its green spices floating on the surface. His eyes slightly mellowed as he watched the swirl of liquid. The conversations around him was suddenly drowned by the music that reminded him of something that was once happy. On the soup surface came a smile of a woman.

He stood up. Everyone stared at him.

"Sasuke—"

"I'm going." He walked away without giving a second glance. He passed the same assistant who hurriedly walked at his side.

"Thank you, sir. Shall I call a cab?"

"No." Sasuke passed the assistant without looking and began walking.

"Sir!"

Ignoring the man, he continued to follow the lamp posts that led to a smaller street. There were a few people who passed opposite him who actually stared at him. Who would have thought that a guy in a luxurious suit would walk alone in the middle of the night. And not only was he in a fine suit, he also looked fine with that ink black hair that was combed back to rid his face of those long bangs. But despite that handsome look, he looked utterly carefree.

Beneath those obsidian orbs, however, his mind was racing as fast as his heart. That smile, that soup, he was brought back to somewhere he half wished he would not come back to. Damn that father. Damn that brother. Damn that… _Shit._

His walk remained a silent, lonely one when from afar he heard a girl yelling, "THIIIEF! STOP HIM!" Sasuke stopped on his tracks and looked back. He saw a desperate looking guy darting to his direction. On his right hand something reflected that seemed like a knife and at his left appeared to be some kind of purse. "STOOOP!" The shouting girl followed far behind. Everything happened fast. Just when the thief ran at the very point where he was, Sasuke extended his leg and the thief stumbled and dived to the pavement. When the poor man scrambled to his feet, the Uchiha grabbed both his wrists, stepped hard on his back and pulled his arms back.

"AAAAH!" The man cried and dropped both the weapon and the purse.

"Run or I'll break your limbs." Sasuke whispered and let go of the guy. The man dropped, looked over his shoulder, whimpered and then hurried away. Sasuke picked up the purse and watched the running girl come into a halt. She was bent forward with her hand on her chest as she panted. She lifted her head to say thank you but her smile faded right away. Sasuke apparently opened her purse and took out a bill or two right in front of her. He then threw the purse to her before she could speak.

"Wh—what did—" She didn't know what exactly to say to him. She stood dumbfounded before she decided to follow the guy in a suit who started to walk away. "Excuse me." She managed to say between pants. When the raven head did not turn, she cried, "Excuse me!"

Sasuke stopped and turned. "What?" He eyed the face of the girl. "Are you this annoying every time?"

The girl was taken aback but when she looked at him closely, she gasped. "You're that guy…at the grocery?" He looked different since he had his hair combed back and he did not wear a hood this time.

"What do you want?"

"I…that money. I mean," she panicked, "I mean, _thank you_." She eyed her money in his clamped hand. "But you, um, you took my money." Sasuke looked at his hand. "Yes, _that_ money."

Sasuke lifted a brow and turned back. When he began walking, the girl continued, "are you _that_ rude?"

"Listen, annoying girl," he turned, "I did you a favor. I could have died by stopping that shithead. I got your purse back so maybe I deserved a little something."

"But—"

"And I thought you were going to pay for my noodles and milk?" Her mouth was left open at that. "This is not even enough for those." He waited for a second before he began walking again.

"W-wait." She shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry for that…the noodles." Sasuke kept on walking. "I-I'm Sakura." She continued talking though she seemed to talk to a wall. "I'm really sorry but that money…_I need that money._ I can't go home."

"That's not my problem now, is it?" Sasuke did not look.

"I need a cab. I'm not sure where I am. And it'll take time for me to get home and my parents will be really worried…" she paused, "…angry."

Sasuke stopped but he just went on before a second elapsed.

"Are you this _inconsiderate?_!" No response. He just looked back. Sakura looked shocked herself that she said those words. After that moment, he walked on.

She was once more, alone.

The night seemed darker than usual because of the dim light posts that lessened in number as she went from this street to another. She looked really tired and worried as she scanned the area. _Did I turn at the wrong street? _Tears were brimming up her eyes. She rubbed her eyes gently and when she saw two guys see her from across the street, she pulled her skirt to cover more of her knees. _What time is it? _She automatically looked at her left wrist that was bare.

"Hey miss! You walking alone?" One of the two guys whistled. Sakura glanced at the two guys and hurried her pace. "Hey! Why in a hurry?" Her brisk walk turned into a run. She could hear the fast foot steps along with laughter and calls behind her.

"Go away!" Sakura yelled. _End of the street. Oh god, oh god. Please! Please!_ After a few more steps she reached the end of the street that led to a smaller street perpendicular to where she was at. One end was a dead one while the other led to somewhere darker. _Oh god, oh god!_

"Miss—"

Suddenly, a car zoomed from an unseen road and seemingly jumped in front of the two guys who leaped back. Silence reigned as both Sakura and the pair waited for the driver to emerge from the vehicle. A man in black went out and his long, dark hair slightly moved with the wind. Cream eyes gazed down at the two men. "Hm?"

"Fuck, it's the Hyuuga." One of the guys muttered and then they ran off. When the two disappeared, the Hyuuga turned to face the flustered pink head. "You okay?"

More than surprise came to her face, "Neji?"

Hyuuga Neji smiled a rare genuine smile. "What are you still doing here? Come on, ride with me, Sakura."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Moonlight Walkers**

**By withered-soup**

**three**

It started to rain.

"You really look different now." Neji smiled as he steered the wheel. The lights flashed past the two faces inside the car. There was an obvious lightness in the teen's features. His cream eyes looked liquid and mellow. "You've grown taller, too. And that hair." He shook his head in slight recollection. "You've always wanted that short, yes?"

"Just like old times." Sakura touched the end of her pink hair that reached the middle of her neck.

"Just like old times." Neji repeated with a wider smile.

"How did you find me?"

"I was just taking a night ride when your pink hair caught my attention. I saw you walking seemingly aimlessly. I couldn't tell if it was you so I followed you."

"You're great at stealth." She chuckled.

"You're just a failure in being unnoticed." The Hyuuga stopped when the traffic light went red. He watched the windshield wiper push the rain off the glass. "Then when I saw those thugs approaching, I didn't care who you were. I just needed to stop that preposterous act of wanting to perhaps, rape, that unattractive girl."

"You're so evil!" She slapped his arm and they both laughed. When they had finished, Sakura looked down on her lap and muttered, "I missed you, you know." The only sound heard was the movement of the wiper and the raindrops against the car. "I mean, after you left…" she stopped and smiled sadly, "after you left…"

"Hey, stop it." Neji gave her a glance. "I tried contacting you, too. Your family simply disappeared from my radar." He turned around a corner. "I missed you too." The two smiled at each other for a brief second. "Oh, here we are." The car slowed into a stop in front of a house pretty much identical to the rest of its neighbors. "Your new house? I'm afraid I prefer the old one."

"I do, too." Sakura replied with apparent regret.

* * *

_It was a morning characterized by clear skies when Sakura's pet fish died. She was playing with her doll when she glanced at her small bowl. The fish was just at the bottom and it didn't move one bit. She tapped the glass but the eyes did not seem to respond. That was when she encountered death as a concept. With her stubby little hands, she grasped the fish bowl and went out of the house. She didn't know where exactly to go but she remembered once in a movie that the "dead" ones had to be placed under a heap of soil. But she thought of her fish. Her fish flapped its fins whenever she tried placing it on her pillow because she wanted to sleep beside it. And it just calmed down when placed back in the water. Wouldn't her fish want to get buried in water instead? So she returned to the pond where she took her fish._

_ "Here you are, fishy." Sakura squatted and was about to drop her fish when someone yelled, "what d'you think you're doin'?" A boy jumped out of nowhere and ran to her side. He wore a cape and a cardboard crown. He also held a small folded umbrella and he used it to point at the clueless lass._

_ "I'm burying my fishy." Sakura replied._

_ "It's dead."_

_ "I know!" Her brows met._

_ "That pond is full of fish." The boy glared at her with his unique cream eyes. "Living fish. Dead fish will make the others to die!"_

_ "Really?" Sakura stood up with the fish still on her open palms._

_ "Yeah!" The boy lifted his chin and marched around the girl as if surveying her. "That's what my mama said." He poked the mossy surface of the pond with his umbrella. "She cuts the yellow leaves because she said the dead leaves will kill the others." Sakura remained unmoved. "So?" She raised her brows. "So?"_

_ "So…?" Sakura looked remained clueless._

_ "So what are you going to do now?" He shifted his weight on the umbrella. "With your pet." When she did not speak, the boy bit his lip. "I'm Neji."_

_ "My name is Sakura." She smiled._

_

* * *

_

"I think I can—" Sakura pulled her wet hair back behind her ears. She and Neji were standing under a small protrusion of the ceiling in front of the front door. They ran through the lawn from his car.

"I know you're already panicking." Neji slightly inched away from the rain that was hitting his leather shoes. "Let me handle it." Before she could open her mouth, he shook his head, "let me."

_Ding, dong._

It took a second or two before the door opened and the furious face of her father appeared. "What—" Neji placed a hand around Sakura's shoulders, "good evening, Sir Haruno."

He stared, "N-Neji?" His eyes went from Neji to Sakura to Neji. An awkward smile passed his face. "Well, uh, come in!" He moved back to let the two dripping individuals enter. "You, ah, I, we didn't know you're here!" He forced a laugh as he took a look at the Hyuuga from head to toe. "You've grown so tall!" He turned and called out to his wife, "Neji's here!"

"I'm really sorry," Neji eyed Sakura who was looking down on her wet feet, "I found her buying some medicine but I was so excited to see her so I swept her away. I'm really sorry."

"No, no, it's fine." He grinned. "My wife's fine. Ah, just, just tell your father we said hi."

"Of course. He'd be delighted to see your family again." Hyuuga continued and then he turned to the shaking girl. "She's really tired, she better go rest, sir."

"Sure!"

"Go on." Neji whispered and gently pushed the pink haired girl away from him. He continued to coerce her through his eyes until Sakura lip talked, "thanks" before she went up the stairs. Sakura raced up but she stopped to peek. She saw Neji walk to the tiny living room. Perhaps he was killing her parents' time so they would have no time to scold her. She smiled.

* * *

"Morning."

Sasuke closed his locker and lifted a brow at Neji who appeared to be happier than usual. "What?" He replied nonchalantly.

"What?" Neji asked back. Sasuke went away.

The Hyuuga shrugged and caught up with the Uchiha's pace. "You seem to be unscathed today."

"You seem odd today." Sasuke muttered as he entered their room that seemed to be a white box containing robots who moved about calculatedly.

"Remember the girl I often told you about? The childhood friend of mine?"

"Yes, and I begged you to stop talking about her when your mind goes idle."

Neji ignored the statement between the lines. "I finally found her." Sasuke could swear he saw Neji's eyes glow. "For years I've been trying to reach her and amazingly, she's here at Konoha." Sasuke watched the Hyuuga stare off at the distance. "She looks so beautiful now. It's been ten years since I last saw her…"

The Uchiha gave his closest friend a long gaze though Neji did not return the favor. His lips moved as he recalled his joys with that childhood friend and he did not care whether Sasuke listened or not. At that very moment, Sasuke did not give a damn. It was not until Neji's joy became _frequent_ that he felt something wrong about it all.

One afternoon, Sasuke went to the lockers with Neji but as usual, he brought a body bag and he gestured that he was going to go earlier. "Alright." Neji even smiled. "You go enjoy. I'll be going ahead, too." And with just that, he turned around and left. It didn't matter to the Uchiha until these encounters became almost every day. He never heard Neji scold him for going to the fight clubs. He never asked about Sasuke's injuries anymore. In fact, Sasuke seemed to have vanished.

And a frank side of the Uchiha did not like it.

* * *

"OWWW!" The host tossed his long black hair and then flashed a grin. The crowd had stood up and the yelling intensified. "He's DOWN! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?" The man in his trademark psychedelic suit threw his arm up and then cut through the air to point at the boy at the floor. The boy was on his hands and knees and he was pushing himself up against the blood stained ring floor. "He's been our star alright! But will he become now our…_falling star_? Ahahahaha!" The host continued to fire up the crowd. "It's a fight to the end, boys!"

"FINISH HIM!"

"STAND UP YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH!"

"WE FUCKIN' BET ON YOU!"

"KILL THE FUCKIN' BOY!"

The background—the lights and the sounds—was a blur. Sasuke could only hear his breathing and the pounding of his heart. His head felt cold and so did his palms and against his cold temples, he felt warm liquid trickle down. The liquid dropped and suddenly, that red droplet became the focus of his eyes.

"Ha…ha…haaah…" He continued to pant. His muscles trembled out of fatigue.

_Fuck you. Stand up._ The Uchiha gritted his teeth and with one strong push, he struggled upright. "Aaaah!"

The crowd roared and the host laughed wildly. Sasuke's unfocused eyes darted from left to right. Everything was spinning or was doubling. His feet stumbled backwards, making him hit the boundary of the fighting arena. The angry buffed guy in front of him grinned.

"Let's see the end of it, boys!" The host yelled.

Sasuke pushed himself forward but he only managed to stand though his knees wobbled. He stared at the brute advancing towards him. "AAAHH!" He angrily threw a punch.

He missed.

Suddenly, a knuckle made contact with his cheek.

He blacked out.

…

…

"H-Hello?" He opened his eyes and then closed them. "Can you hear me?" He opened them again and saw someone shadowing over his face. He couldn't make out anything but he could guess it was a girl. "…um…" He felt something wet touch his temple and then it was followed by a sound of cloth being washed somewhere near. He felt that same wet thing touch the corner of his lips. "I'm sorry for the place."

_Place? What? What happened?_ His hand moved to touch the throbbing pain at his cheek. His fingers then travelled to his forehead and felt the wetness of the area. "I-I just cleaned your face." An obvious hint of fear was in the speaker's voice. "And your wounds…"

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and then focused hard on the face of the girl. Amidst the inadequate orange light of a nearby lamp, he made out some features of her features: her face looked soft and so did her familiar cream eyes, however, heavy make-up destroyed her innocent expression. The girl seemed to have noticed that he had regained much of his consciousness for she smiled shyly and said, "I'm Hinata." She paused to look down on her dirty fingers. "You're in my apartment."

"Apartment?" Sasuke inched away by using his elbows but he dropped back on bed.

"I-I'm sorry." Hinata bit her lip. "No one took you so I—"

"Took me?"

"You lost." She almost whispered. "Those who rooted for you were very angry so they left you at the ring. Orochimaru wanted to throw you out but I said I'll take you instead. You couldn't be awoken, you see." She waited for him to speak but he just looked away. "You never really told them your name, did you? They just called you 'kid'." Sasuke seemed to ignore the actual question behind her words. "Um, you can stay here if you want." She took the basin and went to the bathroom to throw the water.

"No, I have to go." Sasuke pushed himself upright but when he managed to sit at the edge of the bed, he felt a sharp pain at his side.

"You really don't look good—"

"I'm not weak!" He bellowed. His eyes glanced at the lamp desk where there were some bills and coins. He swiped over the desk, taking almost half of the money and forced himself to stand up. Hinata did not budge from where she was standing nor did she speak to stop him or get her money. She just fearfully watched him limp out of her room and into the dark hallway.

Sasuke found himself leaning against the wall of a rundown apartment with one hand grasping his side and another hailing a cab. He tried to reminisce how the night went and how he, one of the ace fighters there got beaten on a night when the bet on him was on its peak. He hit his head against the wall in anger. "FUUUCK!" He yelled. "FUUUUUCK!" His head dropped forward and then he slid down the wall. He gave the stolen money a long look before he eyed the empty road.

"The cabs are rare at this side of the city." Sasuke turned at the familiar voice. Hinata was there by the entrance of the apartment building. Her black hair made her face whiter. "They're scared to frequent here. They get robbed." At that word, Sasuke instantly looked away. "If you really want to go…"

"I can stay there, can I?" The Uchiha pushed himself up. Hinata nodded and unexpectedly, she smiled. "Fine." He limped back to the entrance and when he came to her, he stuffed the money back to her palms. "Hn." He walked on followed by the girl.

"Please take the bed." She smoothed the linen and fixed the pillows. Sasuke dropped on the mattress that squeaked under his weight. "I'm sorry, it's all rusty." She hurriedly gave Sasuke a blanket and picked up the shoes the Uchiha kicked off. She moved in such hurry to prepare things until finally, Sasuke was comfortable on bed. "I'm sorry for the light—"

"Quit saying sorry, it's annoying." He interrupted.

"I'm sorry—" Hinata held her breath and sadly looked away. "I'm…I'm going to need the lamp light for a while. I-I hope you don't get disturbed." She smiled apologetically and took some clothes from the cabinet. The Uchiha closed his eyes. It was a tiring night.

_Zzzzzip._

Sasuke's orbs went to life. That was definitely a sound of a zipper. His curiosity was too much at that moment. His male hormones moved. It was to his greatest disbelief that Hinata, despite knowing that there was a guy in her bed, was disrobing with her back turned right in front of him. _She thinks I'm asleep._ Sasuke wanted to peel away from the dress that slipped from her petit body. That was the only time when he noticed that Hinata wore a familiar tight tube dress that was sewn allover with gold sequins. Sasuke felt some kind of heat rush when she bent over to pick up the dress and fold it. Her buttocks pressed beautifully against her panties.

_Shit. Shit. What the hell…_

The Uchiha only managed to grip the sheets of the bed to calm himself when she straightened up. He thought she was going to pick up the new set of clothes but Hinata reached back behind her and held the ends of her brassiere. Sasuke felt all the pain go away as he watched as if in slow motion how the hook unclasped and how Hinata pulled the bra off and hang it on a wooden chair. _Stop watching. Fuck, stop watching._ However, he could not stop…especially when Hinata started pulling her panties down her thighs and finally off her ankles. He could only see her smooth back and her round buttocks but he could feel something…wrong…down at his crotch.

_I'll just sleep this fucking thing off. I'll just sleep. Fuck this. I'll—_

In a split second, Hinata turned to him and looked at him eye-to-eye before he could pretend to shut his eyes. They stared at each other for a long time. There was no apparent reaction on her face other than the blush on her cheeks. She did not even move to cover her small breasts and her groin area. The wrong feeling at his crotch had become painful. "I'm—"

"I'm sorry." She muttered and then quickly slipped into an oversized shirt. Without giving Sasuke another look, she moved on to pick up her clothes and keep them at a basket. She then went to wash the heavy make-up from her face. Sasuke continued to watch her while hoping that the erection would simply go away. When she turned to look at him once more, however, he felt he would suffer some more.

"Good night." She turned off the lamp. It was pitch black.

"H-hey."

There was a sound of someone hitting some sort of a mat on the floor. "Yes?"

"You can sleep on the bed." He gulped. "It's yours, anyway."

The same sound suggested that the user of the mat shifted position. "I'm fine here."

"We can…sleep together." _What the fuck am I saying?_

Another shifting. "It's a small bed."

"It's—" Just when about he was going to give up, he felt a body press against his. He moved nearer the edge to let Hinata take some space. He couldn't tell whether she was facing him or facing the other way but either way, he couldn't think straight.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No," Honestly, he couldn't feel his wounds at the moment.

"I meant your penis." She sounded so innocently that it made Sasuke hard to breathe evenly.

"Shut up." He roughly turned away from her and squeezed his eyes shut. Hinata apparently did not move anymore and soon, Sasuke also learned to doze off.

* * *

Sakura watched the longer hand of the clock hit twelve for the last three hours. She was supposed to do a research for next week but she could not concentrate even for a bit. That Friday, Neji promised her that he would come at eleven p.m. Sakura did not like the idea at first because eleven would be too late for anyone to entertain guests. _Who said I'll be a guest?_ She remembered him saying. She smiled to herself and toyed with a pen she wrote some of her home works with. She couldn't ask for more happiness that seeing Neji again.

_Tap. Tap._ Some stones hit her window. Sakura immediately opened her window and waved at the Hyuuga who silently thanked her for preparing a ladder immediately below her window sill. After a little under two minutes, Neji was already inside her room and was dusting his hands. "That ladder sure is old." He went straight to the bathroom to wash his hands.

"So why are you here?" Sakura sat on her bed and watched the Hyuuga explore her shelf and her study table. She felt really comfortable around him.

"I hoped to see your room." Neji replied while flipping through her notebooks. "You got a nice room."

"Thanks." She shyly smiled and gazed at how lean Neji's back was. He had changed a lot, alright.

"Hmm," The Hyuuga found a pink notebook and opened it at the middle. _I have always wondered where Neji is or if he's thinking of me too. Maybe he has forgotten all about me. Who am I to remember, anyway?_ "Is this your diary?"

"What?" Sakura jumped and grabbed the notebook from the chuckling guy. She stuffed it under her mattress and kept her back to her childhood friend. The laughter stopped and suddenly she felt two arms envelop her from behind. Blood accumulated at her face.

"Of course I thought of you always. You're very unforgettable, remember that." Neji turned her to him and pat her head. "You're such a little rascal, how could I forget?" She simply smiled as he sat on her bed. "Tell me everything."

She sat beside him. "What everything?"

"Everything that happened while I was gone."

Sakura shifted and leaned against the headboard. "Well, we stayed at the province for a couple more years." She paused. "A lot more years. My parents didn't want to go to the city because they believed they could not afford to live there. If ever they could, they thought they'd die trying to support the family." She traced several letter 's' on the bed sheet. "When I graduated valedictorian at my school, I secretly applied for scholarship in Konoha Academy—the school where I am now in. They accepted my application so I told my parents I wanted to study in the city. But they got angry." A frown escaped her lips. "They said I was too young to make decisions on my own and they started getting paranoid because I might be doing something else behind their back since I was able to apply for scholarship. And they stressed that we could not go with the standard of living there."

"I should have found you sooner." Neji leaned against the headboard as well.

"So I used the first two years of my high school showing them that I can still do well in academics and I saved while I studied. Finally, after second year high school, someone who my father knew offered him a position in a company. We could finally move out to Konoha. I tried applying to the same academy and there I am now." She beamed but the smile quickly vanished when she noticed that Neji was staring hard at the bed. "What is it?"

"You said you didn't go anywhere from the time I left to the this year, right?"

"Yes."

"Then how come you didn't get any of my letters?"

Sakura thought hard for a moment. "I…I don't know."

Neji audibly sighed and lied down. "Come." Sakura did not budge for a whole second. Neji, the guy she had been dreaming about for years, was lying on her bed with his arms open to receive her. _What is he thinking? Does he like me? Is he going to…?_ But emotions were stronger at the moment. She awkwardly lied down and placed her head on his arm. They smiled at each other for a few more seconds. "Tell me more about school."

Neji seemed to be a lot interested. Sakura, savoring the rare moment, began talking about school and how she met new friends. She told him about Ino who was into guys and Naruto who was such a ramen addict. She later on told him about having her purse snatched for the first time and how she got robbed the second time. Sakura continued narrating until everything became blurry and Neji's smiling face became an angel in a dream. He did not speak but he just looked at her with unfathomable joy and interest. Everything swirled as if she was drugged but it was a happy feeling. Sakura mumbled her story until she finally fell asleep in Neji's arms.

* * *

Author's Note: I promise that in this fiction, I won't detail any sex. I would just like to add the complication of teen hormones. Haha. To add to the characters' being human.


End file.
